The science of driving
by Karin Matthews
Summary: Roy is trying to teach Ed to drive but Ed jsut cant seem to get his head around it. Until Roy is injured and Ed has no choice but to get behind the wheel. PARENTAL Roy/Ed kinda


It was early morning in Central and Roy Mustang and Edward Elric walked through the front doors of headquarters together. This had become a natural occurrence recently since Ed had turned 17; Roy had been teaching Edward to drive for nearly 6 months now and Roy had discovered after about the 2nd month that there was something in this world that Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist was actually no good at. And even now after 6 months Ed was still only driving a few minutes down the road before panicking and making Roy drive the rest of the way.

"Well I think we can safely say that was the worst drive we've had in a while Fullmetal" said Mustang as they walked towards the offices. Ed himself was being rather quiet and simply grumbled a simple "sod of bastard" quietly.

"How far did you get today?" asked Riza when Roy walked through his office door, he sighed

"We barely got past 10 minutes outside his apartment! At least last week we got half way here, he's getting worse"

Riza shook her head, like Roy she couldn't understand it. Edward was so forward with everything else and was always so quick to learn new talents. Why was this so different?

"Morning Chief" said Havoc when Ed walked passed him "how did it go this morning?" Ed kept going without looking back.

"Don't ask"

"That bad huh"

The rest of the day passed pretty much as it normally did. Ed's quietness didn't last very long and he was soon back to his normal self, screaming at Mustang at any moment that the opportunity showed itself.

Nearing the end of the day Roy and his team got an invite from Gracia Hughes asking them all if they all wanted to come over for a drink since her daughter was at her mothers.

"You coming Mustang?" asked Hawkeye picking up her coat.

"Yeh, I'm coming but Ed wants to get home to Al so I'll take him home and then make my way over" Riza nodded in understand.

"Come on then Fullmetal" Ed was waiting for him in the hall "You wanna drive?" Roy offered him the keys, Ed grunted and walked on ahead of him; Roy laughed and pocketed the keys again.

Once on the road Roy had tried at first to get Ed to tell him what all the signs meant and what he should do when he met something in the road, but after a while he gave up. Ed just wasn't in the mood tonight.

After about 10 minutes in silence Roy got a call on the phone within the car.

"Hello….yes…I'm near there, we'll head there straight away…no I'm with Fullmetal….Understood"

He hung up the phone and took a left which was in the opposite direction of Ed's place.

"Where we going?" said Ed straightening up.

"There's been shots heard in the west side of Central and we're the nearest to it. It's properly just some idiots, shouldn't be too hard to deal with"

Ed nodded and settled back down, there was no point getting hyped up until they got there.

Roy pulled the car up against the kerb and they got out walking against the people who were running the other way. But after the people cleared the man with the gun was nowhere to be seen.

"well looks like were too late" said Ed shrugging

"Yeh, seems like it. Ah well come on" Roy went to turn and the bullet was shot. Shooting through Roy's arm and sending him to his knees.

"Mustang?"

"I'm alright, just find the Bastard Fullmetal and forgodsake don't get shot!" Ed scanned the darkness and soon found where the shot had come from. The guy was still standing by the building his gun read to fire. He shot two more shots which Ed easily dodged.

"Stop jerking me around" said Ed clapping his hands and shoving them onto the road sending up the blue sparks and the road under the guys' feet to cage him.

He then went over to him; hit the gun from his hands made sure he would not be able to escape before making his way back to Mustang.

"Help me to the car" he said and Ed obeyed then standing quietly as Roy first rang the authorities to get the gun man and next Riza to see if she could pick them up and get Roy to the military Doctor.

"I can't drive Roy, I've been drinking. I'll ring someone from the hospital and see if they can get you".

But Roy shook his head, the hospital was the other side of Central, although his wound wasn't deadly at the moment, if he didn't get the bullet out soon he would soon bleed out and then it would be serious. Knox was his best bet and he was with Riza at the Hughes'…which was only about 30 minutes away.

"Ed" The blonde raised his eyes sus piously; if Mustang was calling in Ed then he wanted something. Badly.

"You're gonna have to drive" Roy saw the kid visibly pale.

"You what?"

"All the guys have had something to drink, the hospital is an hour and half drive from here, by the time they get here my wounds gonna be a lot worse, I need to get to Knox. Please Ed, I'll talk you through it, you'll be fine".

After a few minutes Ed nodded slowly, he helped Roy into the passenger's seat and then got behind the wheel. Roy could already see his hands shaking.

"Ok clutch in, first gear, good now biting point and gas Ed gas!" Ed stalled the car and already the panic was setting in.

"I can't do this Mustang"

"Yes you can, do it again. Good now biting point and gas. Good see there you go now handbrake off and clutch up and gas good there we go" the car was now going.

"Ok now clutch in and go to second gear" Ed did as he was told and changed gear smoothly and then again as he went into 3rd gear without even being told, Mustang couldn't help but smile. As always the Fullmetal Alchemist did better under pressure.

"Where should I go?"

"Take a left here and then take the next right" Ed was turning the car smoothly and slowing down to a perfect speed around the corners.

"You're doing good Ed, just keep doing what you're doing" he saw Ed nod his head quickly and his jaw lock tighter. His knuckles were already white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. Now that Roy was less concerned about Ed's driving he was starting to feel the full pain of his wound.

"Shit" he whispered

"What?" said Ed startled the car swerved slightly and Roy quickly told him to relax and that nothing was wrong and to keep his concentration on the road.

"I know where I am now" said Ed suddenly and Roy saw his posture changed slightly to a bit more comfortable, not by much but it was a start.

The older man was also glad the younger could recognise where he was because his vision was starting to cloud over. He needed to get to Knox ASAP.

Riza Hawkeye was watching out the window, Roy had told her that he was coming but she had no idea how, but she knew she had to trust him. Every time a car slowed down outside the house she would straighten up and get ready to call Knox outside but the car always moved off again. There were head lights coming down the road now and when she looked she recognised Roy's car. It pulled up against the kerb, hit it slightly but otherwise parked perfectly.

"Knox!" she called running out. Roy was in the passenger seat and Ed, white as a sheet, was in the drivers.

Havoc and Falman rushed out with the Doctor and helped Roy inside, Riza went round to Ed, he was still gripping the wheel so tight his hands were white and was shaking from head to foot.

"Edward, its ok, you did it, you can let go of the wheel now" Ed blinked a few times and looked at her, after a few moments the facts seemed to sink it and he slowly let go and accepted Riza's hand in getting out and Gracia's hug once he was inside the house.

"How is he?" asked Riza when the Doc came out of one of the spare rooms a few hours later

"He'll be fine, he lost a lot of blood so he needs rest, if Mr Elric hadn't gotten here so fast it could have been a lot worse." They all looked over to Ed, who had stopped shaking but was still very quiet.

"You can go in a see him now if you want Ed?" the blonde looked up and nodded, rising and walking with Riza into the room.

Roy was led down on the bed, bandages around his wound; he looked in their direction when he heard them enter.

"Hi" he said almost cheerfully, he could see Ed was still slightly shaken and so didn't want to upset him anymore by letting on how much pain he was in.

"Feeling better Sir?" asked Riza sitting down in one of the chairs next to Mustang after she had guided Ed to the other.

"Much thank you Hawkeye, Thanks to Fullmetal. Thank you for getting here so quickly" he smiled slightly at the young alchemist "How are you doing?" the question seemed to shock Ed back into reality.

"I'm fine, it's not like I was the one who was shot"

"No but you looked like you were on the verge of having a heart attack when we were in the car" Ed blushed slightly and looked away.

"Shut up" he said crossing his arms, this made Roy laugh slightly.

"If it's any constellation Fullmetal, that's the best you've ever driven, didn't I tell you you could do it if you tried"

It looked to Roy that Ed had only just realised this fact, that he had driven here and got them here safely and done it…well.

"So what do you say, once Knox lets me move again, you wanna get back behind the wheel?"

Ed considered this for a moment before meeting onyx eyes with gold.

"Sure"

OoOoO

A month later Roy Mustang and Edward Elric walked in through the front doors of the military building, both smiling.

"Hey Ed, how'd it go?" asked Havoc as they met the rest of the group, all of them looked expectant.

"I passed it" Ed grinned holding up his new driving licence. Everyone cheered and patted him on the back, Riza went to answer a call.

"We knew you could do it chief"

"Yes Mr Elric we all knew that you would succeed in your quest, and a saying passed down through out the Armstong family is that…" Hawkeye interrupted the huge alchemist speech.

"Sir there's a call for you, your wanted down town"

Mustang groaned but nodded standing up from his desk, he turned to Ed.

"He kid wanna drive me?" he through the key at Ed who caught them with a grin and bright eyes.

It was at this point that Roy realised the reckless Fullmetal alchemist was now legally allowed to get behind the wheel…this were going to be interesting.


End file.
